Thanks to J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter Series, my 10 year old has turned the page in her reading confidence and ability. The magic found in Rowling's books has transformed how my daughter views herself as a reader.
When her best buddy suggested she read The Wishing Spell, the first book in TheLand of Stories Series, by Chris Colfer, she hesitated. It is a big 400 page book, with few pictures to break up the text, but she was on a reading high, thanks to Harry, Hermione, and Ron. As she gingerly opened the book, she immediately fell in love with Colfer's imaginary world.
Now, I often find her at 10:00pm, well after bedtime, secretly reading, because she is "at a good part" and has to see what happens next. To her, every scene in The Wishing Spell is "a good part."
The reader in me is thrilled to have a fellow book lover in the house, the mom in me is proud that my once struggling reader is now ranked above grade level, and the writer in me knows what a feat it is to write a book full of "good parts" and no slow, boring sections.
Thanks Chris Colfer for sharing your imagination with millions of kids. Please keep writing. My daughter never wants this series to end.
On the surface it seems simple to answer: kids struggling to read.
But why is reading more difficult for these children?
"Reluctant readers" may struggle with concentration, word recognition, dyslexia, working memory deficiencies, or other challenges. Reading clinicians and child psychologists have terminology that groups kids in meaningful ways for classroom and resource teachers.
I am not a reading specialist, so I can't provide any advice on diagnosis, treatment, or clinicians. I am an author of children's literature, a mother, and an enthusiastic and extremely vocal book nerd.
I have a reluctant reader. Getting her past simple two and three letter words was a hurdle, until we found highly illustrated early readers, chapter books, and graphic novels. That was two years ago. She is now on a reading roll!
Today I begin my series on books for kids struggling to read.
Some of the books will resonate with your child or student, others will not. Just like any reader. Just like your own personal reading tastes.
Here is my first recommended title:
"It was a dark and stormy night..."
I kid you not, there is a graphic novel version of A Wrinkle in Time and before you leap from your chair, spilling tea across your key board and wail about the plight of the future of children's literature, let me ask you a few quick questions.
How many 10 year olds do you know that have read the original book?
How many 10 year-olds have you had a meaningful discussion (over a bowl of honey nut cheerios on a Wednesday morning before school) about that famous first line; "It was a dark and stormy night"?
Can you imagine having this conversation with a child struggling to read?
I can, and have. It was thrilling, for us both.
She was surprised to learn that Madeleine L'Enlge coined that phrase, which has now become cliche. This graphic novel encouraged my youngest to search out other over used lines when she reads, engaging her critical mind. We discussed the author, her impact on modern literature, and her wild imagination. All before 8 am.
I want to make bags of
cash writing novels, so I can stop working two jobs to pay for food,
water, and soccer shoes for my kids.
I want to be that elusive beast;
The Working Writer.
After mind bending hours of revision, I believe I have written my Artistic Statement. I also believe it
may be too salesy and not enough artsy. And it is not long. In fact, I would
deem it short.
I believe this may be a problem.
I am in the midst of drafting my very first literary grant application. It took me less than 3.5 minutes to learn that each granting agency, much like every publisher, requires something a wee bit different. The first needs a 500 word essay. The next, a 252 word Artistic Statement. But most want a Project Proposal. Which makes sense.
Those holding the money bags need to know why you can't write your book without their moolah.
For example; if you are planning a research trip to Bali in typhoon season, they need to know the reasons behind your insanity best laid plans. Like a bookie at the Assiniboia Downs Racetrack, they're hedging their bets that you'll be the next Governor General recipient. (Or at least sell through your first 5,000 book print run.)
...and then off to Bali. Note to self; pack an umbrella.
The Manitoba Arts Council allows for
two pages to complete their Project Proposal. Two pages. That seems far too generous. I believe I
will need two, possibly three lines. Four lines max, if I use Jokerman 16 point font. (I believe Times New Roman is overrated.)
Gack. I mean, Gack.
Thankfully, I am well prepared for this Grant App Challenge.
Edie Brickell's jazzy tunes waft through the house, a heaping bowl of peanut M&M's keeps me energized and awake, and my daughters have gone to bed without complaint.
And yes, I realize that writing this blog post is not helping to complete the actual grant application that I am blogging about. I may need help. And good Karma. And luck. Yes. Wish me luck.
P.S. I have no clue who or what
this dude is. I typed in luck and clip art presented me with him. Or
her. Whatevs. All I know is, if he's lucky then pass me a toga, a
recorder, and large vat of dippy-do hair gel. I'm getting my luck on.
Okay, could there be a better title to this blog post?
I think not.
And it's from the clever mind of Winnipeg Free Press reporter, Carolin Vesely.
She wrote an outstanding article that ran the entire front page of the Art & Life section and onto a second page. The piece featured Asperger's Syndrome, Asperger Manitoba and my book, Spaghetti is NOT a Finger Food and Other Life Lessons.
I couldn't be more pleased with how well it turned out and her inclusion of a factoid side bar was icing on the proverbial cake. (Rich chocolate cake with layers of smooth ganache.)
And the timing couldn't be better. We did the initial interview well before Christmas, and the holidays delayed the article's issue. It finally hit the paper right in the middle of my blog book tour.
A coincidence? Perhaps.
If you missed getting a paper copy of The Winnipeg Free Press this past Tuesday, you can read the full article by following this link:
The third stop on my virtual tour (doesn't that sound like
I'm part of the Matrix?) is at the awesome blog site; Mom-Ology, where advocacy and action meet.
Jen is the mastermind behind Mom-Ology and is a stay-at-home
Mom of an 8 year old boy on the Autism spectrum (a.k.a. Bean). She
started blogging in November 2011, shortly after she started homeschooling her
son. She's married, and has been for 11 years. Her hubby (a.k.a.
Hubby) is an avid martial artist and together they run a specialized program for kids
on the Autism spectrum.
Jen also has 2 golden retrievers; Ollie and Jorga
(pronounced Georgia). Ollie is Bean’s autism service dog and Jorga… well,
she’s known as ‘The Spazmanian Devil’. They add just a little more
craziness to their lives, which they thoroughly enjoy!
One of Jen's big passions is raising autism awareness. she
is an active advocate in the community for both autism and autism service dogs.
She's also a supporter of the I CARE Foundation and
the work that they are doing to help end International Parental Child Abduction
(IPCA). Not only will you see a number of things on her blog in reference
to autism, but also related to IPCA.
She's a proud Canadian blogger and loves to share Canadian
content. Jen's my first stop with a fellow Canadian and it is a true honor to be hosted on her site. Plus, she and her post absolutely rock and we are going to have oodles of fun today!
So click over to Mom-Ology; you'll find support, community, and great resources.
Here are the other blog stops on the Spaghetti tour:
"How did that newbie author from the Great Plains of Canada get hosted by the likes of Maryann Miller?"
I keep asking myself that very same question and keep coming out with the same Karma-esque answer, "Because Maryann's from Texas."
Confused? Let me enlighten you, Jodi-Style.
There is something about Texans that I'm drawn to. Maybe it's because I'm only two left turns and 1,200 miles from literally driving down Main Street, Dallas.
It would be a 20 hour drive, I'd be mighty tired, and the tolls in Kansas and Oklahoma would confuse they heck out of me, but it is a possibility.
Or maybe it's because we're both prairie folks - albeit there's a ton more snow and far more -20 degree days up here in Manitoba - but we both have wide open spaces that let our imaginations float free for mile after mile or kilometre after kilometre. However you measure it, there's a lot of land to daydream across.
Maryann's blog is a "commentary about life and writing, and the absurdities of the human condition."
As a journalist and author for twenty years, she has amassed credits for feature articles and short fiction in numerous national and regional publications. She has several non-fiction books in print, including the award winning, Coping With Weapons and Violence In Your School and on Your Streets.
Maryann is the Theatre Director at the art center, where she had the privilege of directing one of her original plays several years ago. She enjoys directing, especially working with young performers, and every summer holds a two-week Youth Drama Camp. When not directing, Miller likes to be onstage and has appeared in "Squabbles" as Mildred at the Main Street Theatre in Sulphur Springs, where she also appeared as Mama Wheelis in "Daddy's Dying, Whose Got the Will?" and Martha Brewster in "Arsenic and Old Lace."
When not writing or "playing" on stage, Miller enjoys her little ranch in East Texas where she lives with her husband.
Here are the other blog stops on the Spaghetti tour:
The countdown has begun. In only 34 sleeps it will happen.
The launch of my very first book.
Finally the world will get to see, Spaghetti is NOT a Finger Food and Other Life Lessons, in all its glory.
I suppose you could say I'm excited, but that is a huge understatement. Every day my feelings run the gamut from thrilled and overjoyed to nervous and stunned.
In one moment I think, "All my hard work is paying off." Only seconds later my mind switches gears and resembles a hamster running on a wheel of self doubt.
"How can this be happening to me? Is this a dream? Am I going to wake up on December 3rd and find out the last 9 months was just a Rip Van Wrinkle type slumber?"
And wouldn't that just bite?
My solution? I keep pinching myself. Yes, I am black and blue, but it's working. It stops that negative inner voice from jumping it's hamster wheel and lunging out of it's cage to run willy-nilly around my brain.
Now back to work. Today I search for authors to blurb my book. Blurbing. Doesn't that sound all writerly? Makes me feel thrilled and overjoyed, with no room for nervous or stunned.
This may be my shortest blog, yet. Possibly these words will be the fewest written in the history of blogging. I can’t be sure, because I am too excited to do the research.
I, Jodi Colleen Carmichael, am on the very cusp of publication.
Drew told me to keep calm and maintain a professional composure. Ahem. Who did he think he married? Her Royal Highness Queen Elizabeth?
The reason for my uncontainable joy?
A wonderful publishing company in The United States of America is interested in publishing Spaghetti is NOT a Finger Food and Other Life Lessons. Connor’s story soon may be found in a bookstore near you! Five years after I began writing Spaghetti, I may be months from seeing it on Amazon. Incredible.
Wish me luck as we discuss their terms. Discussing terms. Ooh, doesn't that make it sound so official?
P.S. Maybe, you shouldn’t mention this blog entry to Drew. He may not consider such reckless outbursts of elation “Queen appropriate.”
I’m not just talking about Harry Potter and his magical adventures that tweaked the curiosity of adults across the globe. Literature for children today, has to be well researched and well written with strong, believable characters. Books for the under 18 crowd have to be stellar from the first to last line, with no room for sloppy storylines or fanciful writing. A classroom full of kids is far more discerning than a stadium packed with adults.
But…wait, how can that be? Aren’t we better educated, older, and have read far more books than our children and grandchildren?
“Guffaw, hogwash, and balderdash!” you may say, but consider this:
Growing up, our entertainment consisted of a handful of television shows, hours tooling around the neighbourhood on our bikes, and books. Now, those bikes have grown rusty and children have a selection of 24 hour kid-focused television stations, not to mention; Ipods, Ipads, PS3s, PSPs, DSIs, and WIIs vying for their attention.
But I digress.
Seriously, if the first paragraph of a children’s novel doesn’t grab and sustain their interest, kids will turn to a handful of other completely interactive and “easy” modes of entertainment.
(And yes, as I write this my children are bickering over Super Mario Bros, on the cursed, ‘why-did-we-ever-let-this-into-the-house’ WII.)
Mulling over this need for well crafted kids books got me thinking about an incredible book I read over the summer. It was the page-turner, The Kulak’s Daughter, by Manitoba author, Gabriele Goldstone.
The protagonist is a twelve year old girl, whose family is deemed ‘kulak’ under Stalin’s brutal regime and forcibly removed from their farm and exiled to Siberia on their way to a Gulag.
Yes, the central character is the same age as a middle grader. Yes, the perspective is from her viewpoint. And yes, it is a spell binder that kept me up ‘til . I couldn’t go to sleep until I knew how it ended. Would Olga survive? What about her baby brother? Where is her father?
Once done, I was left with more questions. How much was true? What exactly is a Kulak? Why were the landowners targeted so viciously?
Luckily for me, the author is home-grown and part of my critique group. She graciously responded early the next morning, to my email of questions that plagued my dreams. She also agreed to do my first author interview and share the work that goes into writing a novel. Gabe's blog can be found by clicking on this link, http://gabrielegoldstone.blogspot.com/.
Here's a glimpse into the research she did for her first novel, The Kulak's Daughter.
Q. Gabe, what made you want to write this novel?
A. I've always wanted to write, but life kept getting in the way...(okay, so maybe I procrastinated a bit.) In 2000 a relative sent my mom a self-made calendar with old photos in it. It was the first time I'd seen photos of my mom as a child and all of a sudden I just had to know the story - what happened to the in-between time of those photos? The fact that my mom hid the calendar because she didn't want to be reminded of those days, just intensified my curiosity.
Q. You went to Ukraine (the former Soviet Union) for research. Where exactly did you travel?
A. I went to find a little placed called Fedorofka, about 2 hours east of Kyiv. I stayed in the city Zhytomyr, which is about the size of Regina.
Q. Why was it so important to physically go there, when we have so much access to photos and videos on the Internet?
A. I did have a lot of information before I went. But going there and actually talking to the old people who remembered, walking the land where once my mom and her family lived, finding the remnants of the windmill, and reading my grandfather's files in the former KGB archives was very empowering for me. Plus, I got to smell linden tree blossoms, feel the soil, the wind - you know - the sensory detail. Plus I got to rub shoulders with the ghosts of the past and they touched me to the core.
Q. What did you do/read to research this novel?
A. I listened to my mom tell her stories. I mean I really listened. Sometimes it's easy to ask a question but not really hear the answer because I assume I know it already. My mom's answers kept surprising me. Plus, she gave me nuggets of information at times when I wasn't expecting it.
For example: I was telling her about my broken tooth and then she mentioned how she remembered when they broke her mother's teeth after she'd died, to extract the gold. I'd already written a draft of the story at that point, but had to go back and add this.
I also read lots of books about the Stalin years and collectivization. Since the early nineties there have been many excellent books written about the subject.
Q. What surprised you most when researching Stalin's time in history?
A. The confusion. This was not a carefully thought out cruelty - like Hitler's Third Reich. The other surprise was the sheer numbers. There was nobody in that part of the world who wasn't affected in some way by Stalin's insanity.
Q. You've done school visits. Can you tell me about your first one?
A. My very first school visit is quite memorable for me. The class did drawings of their favourite scenes and the teacher collected these along with letters to me. She put these together into a little booklet. Another teacher also made me a collection of the class study questions. She even had someone from the local paper come in to interview me and do a write-up. Visiting classrooms is a very heart-warming experience.
Q. What question from a student has surprised or impressed you most?
A. The kids are so interested in the fact v.s. fiction aspect. One boy wanted to know if I found Olga's dog when I went back.
Q. You are obviously no longer a child. Can you tell me why you write for children?
A. I've always felt a strong connection to kids - as a babysitter, as a parent, and even now as my own kids move on, I still feel that kids (especially the age I write for, which is 11-13) are on the cusp of life. They are open, vulnerable and so very honest. As adults we lose that. Staying connected to kids through writing, keeps me connected to my inner child.
Q.What advice do you have for kids who want to write?
A. Do it. Read lots and lots and make writing a habit. Trust your writing voice, it's uniquely yours.
Q. Where can people buy your book?
A. Well, I've just learned that my little publisher down in Austin, Texas is shutting down. So, it might become difficult to get my book. However, it's at the library, or contact me through my blog - I'd be happy to send it out. I'm also going to get an e-book version made. Again, please visit my blog for information about when that will be available.
Q. Can you give us a little taste of your current Work-in-Progress?
A. Well, I do have a sequel to The Kulak's Daughter, but that's been put on hold because of my publisher issues. So my current work-in-progress that I've been sharing with my delightful and talented critique group isn't historical fiction at all. It's about a boy with a brain injury.
Here's a snippet:
Black. A few sparks dance in and out of the corner of my left eye, but I can’t move - can’t turn my head to see the rest of the light show. I get vague images – but it’s all far away. Hard to explain... can’t focus.
Is that a mosquito whining in my ear?I want to slap it, but where’s my darn hand? Why can’t I make it move?Stupid bugs, there’s another one, sucking blood out of me and I’m letting them. What’s happening to me?
Hey! Is that a whippoorwill calling? I’ve got to see it! (Better not be an omen.) Ever since I was little, I’ve wanted to see a real live whippoorwill, and now, now it seems like I can’t even, I can’t...get my eyes open. Somebody help me!
The fireworks fade, and I’m alone in the dark. But it’s like the darkness is in me, not around me. I am the night.
I try to fight it - try to stop it from making me disappear completely.
(And no, I did not take artisitic license with Gabe's responses. She actually said we were delightful and talented. And no, I didn't prompt her or bribe her. The Laura Secord chocolates were just a thank you gift.)
